Manual shifting barely exists before the LC500 warms up. It will automatically short-shift until the tach is white up to 7200rpm. This is a great safety feature I don't mind at all. However, even after the vehicle is warm it will sometimes automatically shift just before red-line. Logic would suggest that there is yet another level of "warmed-up" not indicated by the tach. Is this the case?

The problem I'm experiencing is that I'll shift at just about red-line, only for the computer to do it at the exact same moment, leaving me in 3rd gear instead of 2nd. When I try and let the computer shift, I often get a nasty bounce. Is there any way of knowing when the engine is going to automatically shift or bounce before the fact?

 

Yes, the car will automatically shift when it is cold to prevent engine wear and tear.

Regarding redlining and getting close to the rev limiter (the stuttering you are talking about, is the rev cut-off/limiter). Essentially, it starts cutting fuel. In first gear, it will allow you to bounce off the rev limiter and if you wait a few splits seconds longer, it will shift automatically (hence, the overlap of the auto shift and you pulling the paddle coinciding resulting in jump to 3rd gear). In all other gears, when the torque converter is locked, it will bounce off the rev limiter all day until you shift.

For maximum acceleration, yes one has to shift close to 7300 rpm when the beep occurs (since peak power arrives so high up) without hitting the rev limiter. So, when you rev it out in first gear and see the needle swing past 7000 rpm, be prepared to shift with your finger on the upshift paddle waiting for the beep. If you miss the beep because of the loud engine noise, as soon as you feel the first stutter, quickly hit the upshift paddle. It will shift up. If you wait a bit too long, the transmission will automatically shift up (and possibly result in you getting 3rd gear).

 

Yes, I understand what a rev-limiter is and how to shift at red-line, which is kind of the whole reason I'm asking this question. My car doesn't beep when it's time to shift, and it doesn't bounce off the rev-limiter before automatically shifting. It either bounces or shifts. One or the other, without any indication as to which will occur.

 

Speaking of transmission and shifting - I don't know if this has ever happened to anyone on this forum yet, but after driving my LC long enough to warm it up (and waiting to get to the 7300 RPM limit), I get a really weird and concerning thing with the transmission. So I pop it into manual (in Sport+ setting), and I start pushing it - when it comes to shifting up, it JUST DOESN'T SHIFT. I pull the paddle a second time, still doesn't....maybe after the 3rd time it'll shift. This has only happened to me 3-4 times, and ONLY shortly after having driven the car for about 5-10 minutes.

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

Yes. It's more like you're submitting an application for the gear you want.

 

I may be crazy, but I swear there are options in the menu for setting the shift point and the RPM for the shift light to illuminate (the tach turns bright yellowish-orange). I looked in the book and I don't see it so I will find it on my car and post a pic.

Forgive me for asking the obvious question, but do you have the car in "M" instead of just using the paddles while it is in "D"?

The other thing I have noticed is that even with the Traction Control turned off (I wish I could make that default!) if the trans is in "D" rather than "M" it will cheat and upshift to control wheel-spin. If you really wanna hang it out there as you leave the office every afternoon, you have to hold down the Traction Control button (for about 5 sec) until all the yellow lights come on (TRAC/VSC disabled), shift to "M", and put it in "Sport +". You're welcome.

 

I think I've seen that. There is also an option to indicate the highest rpm reached in the last two seconds or so.

I'm in full manual mode. Also I will add that my reflexes score far beyond average on standardized tests I won't get into. I'm not some half-blind fat old man.

Today it bounced hard after the car was plenty warm. It did this after failing to shift when I pulled the paddle. I find that sometimes at high rpms, even after it's warm, the car will not shift when I pull back the paddle. I had to let off the gas for a second then try shifting again. A minute after this it auto-shifted at redline exactly when I pulled the paddle, causing another double shift.

 

video attached with shift light menu